Here in the US, we are about to go GREEN!

This week the supermarkets are full of green iced cup cakes, cookies and anything else the food coloring folks can turn that delightful color and tomorrow, Irish Americans  will be wearing their glitzy green Leprechaun hats and wigs, quaffing Guinness, Murphys and other forms of stout by the bucket load, as they polish up their blarney and celebrate all things best about the Emerald Isle

I thought I’d contribute to the occasion by cooking up a beef stew, with a nod to the Irish inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe

This dish is truly simple, earthy and filling yet delicious and meaty. The beef is slowly cooked to a melt in your mouth treat in a sea of Guinness and is excellent accompanied by a side of boiled spuds (potatoes) and maybe even some emerald green garden peas?

The very simple main ingredients

Ingredients

•  1lb beef stew meat (or thereabouts) diced into 2 inch squares
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped in rounds
• 2 yellow onions roughly diced
• 2 -3 sticks of celery sliced horizontally
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 x 14oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 pint of Guinness, or similar stout
• 1 heaped x tbsp plain flour
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper to season

Method

Meat & Veggies on the move

• Pour a couple of tablespoons of the oil into a casserole pan and warm over a medium heat, then chuck in all the veggies and bay leaves and fry for around 10 minutes, turning so they don’t burn
• Add the beef and the flour and stir in
• Pour in the chopped tomatoes and the Guinness, a teaspoon of the sea salt and 4-5 grinds of black pepper and bring the stew to the boil
• Cover the dish and place in the oven at 350 f for 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally
• Uncover the dish and cook for 30 more minutes

Serve immediately. If there’s anything left on your plate, why not soak up with a hunk, or two of soda bread (see my co-blogger, Lindsey’s great recipe in our first post of  today)

Guinness and Tomatoes added and stew slowly

Happy St Patrick’s Day!